Tyrese Proctor is expected back for No. 2 Duke this season, coach Jon Scheyer said, after the guard hobbled off the court because of a left knee injury Tuesday night.
Scheyer said Wednesday night on his radio show that imaging showed Proctor sustained a bone bruise but no structural damage.
“Basically, it’s about his pain tolerance, and it’s about his movement and strengthening,” Scheyer said. “We’ll be very cautious with that and smart. I don’t want to give an exact timetable because it depends on how we can get him moving over the next days or weeks or however long it takes. But we’re going to get him back, which is the most important thing.”
Proctor was moving backward in an effort to defend against a Miami fast break when his left leg appeared to buckle while planting his foot. Proctor, in obvious discomfort, hobbled off the court and into a nearby tunnel with 36.3 seconds left in the first half.
He did not return to the game, finishing with seven points in 14 minutes to eclipse the 1,000-point mark for his Duke career as the Blue Devils beat Miami 97-60.
Isaiah Evans started the second half for Proctor.
Proctor has started 87 games for Duke over three seasons, all under Scheyer. He’s averaging 11.8 points this season, third best on the team behind Cooper Flagg (19.4) and Kon Knueppel (13.5), and he leads the Blue Devils with 64 3-pointers.
“He’s the guy that’s been through it all,” Scheyer said. “And vice versa. I’ve been right there with him. … Look, he’s had way more ups than downs. As a player, he’s 79-21. He’s been a key guy for us since the get-go.”
The Blue Devils already were without key reserve Maliq Brown, who dislocated his shoulder Feb. 17 in a win against Virginia but also is expected back this season.
Duke (25-3, 16-1 ACC and in first place in the conference) has three league games left to play (Saturday at home against Florida State, Monday at home against Wake Forest, March 8 at North Carolina), then would open ACC tournament play with a quarterfinal game March 13, with the potential of tourney games the next two days.
The Blue Devils — a likely No. 1 seed and national title contender — would then open NCAA tournament play on either March 20 or March 21.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
